Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080199783 | Double-Decker Pellicle-Mask Assembly - A pellicle-mask assembly includes a mask substrate having an absorber pattern, and a hard pellicle held against movement with respect to the mask substrate by gas pressure. | 08-21-2008 |
20080203322 | Resist collapse prevention using immersed hardening - A method, tool, and machine for hardening a photoresist image while the photoresist image is immersed in a liquid. | 08-28-2008 |
20080304025 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IMMERSION LITHOGRAPHY - An immersion lithography apparatus includes a lens assembly having an imaging lens, a wafer stage for securing a wafer beneath the lens assembly, a fluid module for providing a fluid into a space between the lens assembly and the wafer, and a plurality of extraction units positioned proximate to an edge of the wafer. The extraction units are configured to operate independently to remove a portion of the fluid provided into the space between the lens assembly and the wafer. | 12-11-2008 |
20080309891 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IMMERSION LITHOGRAPHY - Immersion lithography apparatus and method using a shield module are provided. An immersion lithography apparatus including a lens module having an imaging lens, a substrate table positioned beneath the lens module and configured for holding a substrate for processing, a fluid module for providing an immersion fluid to a space between the lens module and the substrate on the substrate table, and a shield module for covering an edge of the substrate during processing. | 12-18-2008 |
20080311314 | MULTIPLE TOOLS USING A SINGLE DATA PROCESSING UNIT - A method and system for simultaneously processing multiple substrates through an imaging beam process is provided. The system includes a plurality of direct write substrate exposure modules configured to receive a writing instruction from a data processing unit. The system and method of the invention utilizes multiple exposure modules receiving writing instructions from a single common data processing unit. | 12-18-2008 |
20090029268 | PELLICLE STRESS RELIEF - The present disclosure provides a mask-pellicle system for lithography patterning. The mask-pellicle system includes a mask substrate; a predefined pattern formed on the transparent pattern; a pellicle configured approximate the transparent substrate; a pellicle frame designed to secure the pellicle; and a stress-absorbing feature configured between the pellicle frame and the mask substrate, to reduce stress of the mask substrate. | 01-29-2009 |
20090268184 | System and Method for Direct Writing to a Wafer - A direct-write (DW) exposure system is provided which includes a stage for holding a substrate and configured to scan the substrate along an axis during exposure, a data processing module for processing pattering data and generating instructions associated with the patterning data, and an exposure module that includes a plurality of beams that are focused onto the substrate such that the beams cover a width that is larger than a width of a field size and a beam controller that controls the plurality of beams in accordance with the instructions as the substrate is scanned along the axis. The widths are in a direction different from the axis. | 10-29-2009 |
20090309253 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PLANARIZING A POLYMER LAYER - A method for planarizing a polymer layer is provided which includes providing a substrate having the polymer layer formed thereon, providing a structure having a substantially flat surface, pressing the flat surface of the structure to a top surface of the polymer layer such that the top surface of the polymer layer substantially conforms to the flat surface of the structure, and separating the flat surface of the structure from the top surface of the polymer material layer. | 12-17-2009 |
20100177289 | Immersion Fluid for Immersion Lithography, and Method of Performing Immersion Lithography - An immersion lithographic system | 07-15-2010 |
20100248158 | HIGH-VOLUME MANUFACTURING MASSIVE E-BEAM MASKLESS LITHOGRAPHY SYSTEM - The present disclosure provides a maskless lithography apparatus. The apparatus includes a plurality of writing chambers, each including: a wafer stage operable to secure a wafer to be written and a multi-beam module operable to provide multiple radiation beams for writing the wafer; an interface operable to transfer wafers between each of the writing chambers and a track unit for processing an imaging layer to the wafers; and a data path operable to provide a set of circuit pattern data to each of the multiple radiation beams in each of the writing chambers. | 09-30-2010 |
20110059396 | PATTERNING PROCESS AND CHEMICAL AMPLIFIED PHOTORESIST WITH A PHOTODEGRADABLE BASE - A method for fabricating an integrated circuit device is disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate; forming a first material layer over the substrate; forming a second material layer over the first material layer, wherein the second material layer comprises a photodegradable base material; and exposing at least a portion of the second material layer. | 03-10-2011 |
20110070542 | PHOTORESIST AND PATTERNING PROCESS - A method and material layer for forming a pattern are disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate; forming a first material layer over the substrate; forming a second material layer over the first material layer, wherein the second material layer comprises a photoacid generator and a photobase generator; and exposing one or more portions of the second material layer | 03-24-2011 |
20110164234 | NOVEL PHOTORESIST MATERIALS AND PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESSES - A material for use in lithography processing includes a polymer that turns soluble to a base solution in response to reaction with acid and a plurality of magnetically amplified generators (MAGs) each having a magnetic element and each decomposing to form acid bonded with the magnetic element in response to radiation energy. | 07-07-2011 |
20110165515 | NOVEL PHOTORESIST MATERIALS AND PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESSES - A material for use in lithography processing includes a polymer that turns soluble to a base solution in response to reaction with acid and a plurality of magnetically amplified generators (MAGs) each having a magnetic element and each decomposing to form acid bonded with the magnetic element in response to radiation energy. | 07-07-2011 |
20110244378 | DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING WAVELENGTH REDUCTION WITH A PHOTOMASK - Disclosed is a photomask having a wavelength-reducing material that may be used during photolithographic processing. In one example, the photomask includes a transparent substrate, an absorption layer having at least one opening, and a layer of wavelength-reducing material (WRM) placed into the opening. The thickness of the WRM may range from approximately a thickness of the absorption layer to approximately ten times the wavelength of light used during the photolithographic processing. In another example, the photomask includes at least one antireflection coating (ARC) layer. | 10-06-2011 |
20110261334 | Apparatus for Method for Immersion Lithography - An apparatus for immersion lithography that includes an imaging lens which has a front surface, a fluid-containing wafer stage for supporting a wafer that has a top surface to be exposed positioned spaced-apart and juxtaposed to the front surface of the imaging lens, and a fluid that has a refractive index between about 1.0 and about 2.0 filling a gap formed in-between the front surface of the imaging lens and the top surface of the wafer. A method for immersion lithography can be carried out by flowing a fluid through a gap formed in-between the front surface of an imaging lens and a top surface of a wafer. The flow rate and temperature of the fluid can be controlled while particulate contaminants are filtered out by a filtering device. | 10-27-2011 |
20110267591 | Apparatus for Method for Immersion Lithography - An apparatus for immersion lithography that includes an imaging lens which has a front surface, a fluid-containing wafer stage for supporting a wafer that has a top surface to be exposed positioned spaced-apart and juxtaposed to the front surface of the imaging lens, and a fluid that has a refractive index between about 1.0 and about 2.0 filling a gap formed in-between the front surface of the imaging lens and the top surface of the wafer. A method for immersion lithography can be carried out by flowing a fluid through a gap formed in-between the front surface of an imaging lens and a top surface of a wafer. The flow rate and temperature of the fluid can be controlled while particulate contaminants are filtered out by a filtering device. | 11-03-2011 |
20120038894 | Lens Cleaning Module - A lens cleaning module for a lithography system having an exposure apparatus including an objective lens is disclosed. The lens cleaning module includes a scanning stage for supporting a wafer beneath the objective lens. A cleaning module is provided adjacent to the scanning stage for cleaning the objective lens in a non-manual cleaning process. | 02-16-2012 |
20120074400 | MULTIPLE EDGE ENABLED PATTERNING - Provided is an alignment mark having a plurality of sub-resolution elements. The sub-resolution elements each have a dimension that is less than a minimum resolution that can be detected by an alignment signal used in an alignment process. Also provided is a semiconductor wafer having first, second, and third patterns formed thereon. The first and second patterns extend in a first direction, and the third pattern extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second pattern is separated from the first pattern by a first distance measured in the second direction. The third pattern is separated from the first pattern by a second distance measured in the first direction. The third pattern is separated from the second pattern by a third distance measured in the first direction. The first distance is approximately equal to the third distance. The second distance is less than twice the first distance. | 03-29-2012 |
20120236276 | Immersion Lithography System Using Direction-Controlling Fluid Inlets - Immersion lithography system and method using direction-controlling fluid inlets are described. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an immersion lithography apparatus includes a lens assembly having an imaging lens disposed therein and a wafer stage configured to retain a wafer beneath the lens assembly. The apparatus also includes a plurality of direction-controlling fluid inlets disposed adjacent to the lens assembly, each direction-controlling fluid inlet in the plurality of direction-controlling fluid inlets being configured to direct a flow of fluid beneath the lens assembly and being independently controllable with respect to the other fluid inlets in the plurality of direction-controlling fluid inlets. | 09-20-2012 |
20120320351 | IMMERSION LITHOGRAPHY SYSTEM USING A SEALED WAFER BATH - Immersion lithography system and method using a sealed wafer bottom are described. One embodiment is an immersion lithography apparatus comprising a lens assembly comprising an imaging lens and a wafer stage for retaining a wafer beneath the lens assembly, the wafer stage comprising a seal ring disposed on a seal ring frame along a top edge of the wafer retained on the wafer stage, the seal ring for sealing a gap between an edge of the wafer and the wafer stage. The embodiment further includes a fluid tank for retaining immersion fluid, the fluid tank situated with respect to the wafer stage for enabling full immersion of the wafer retained on the wafer stage in the immersion fluid and a cover disposed over at least a portion of the fluid tank for providing a temperature-controlled, fluid-rich environment within the fluid tank; and | 12-20-2012 |